Pokémon: Swan Song
by Mosaic and the Skoolgurlz
Summary: Former Pokémon trainer Masaru Shoryu must avenge the death of his most beloved Pokémon. With the help of a team of trainers from around the world, he must take down the Organization that forced an early swan song.
1. Death and Revenge

I was slowly walking down the streets of Veilstone City. My Pokémon were by my side, watching over me as I went through the poor, crime infested neighborhood. Goth, my Smeargle, pretended not to pay attention to me, but I know that his apathy was just a show, and he really cared about me. Ichigo, my Bellossom, sat gently on my shoulder, watching my back as I moved.

But Swan clearly didn't want the slightest thing to happen to me. She gracefully floated across the street, looking down every nook and cranny. Her long dress waved in the wind as she glided from end to end of the street, making sure no one was coming my way.

Swan was a Gardevoir. She was one of my first Pokémon. I met her one day five years ago as I traveled through the Hoenn region outside of Petalburg City. She was only a Ralts, but I raised her until she became a fully grown woman.

However, Swan was different from other Gardevoir. Normally, Gardevoir come in various shades of green. However, Swan was cyan. She was, what I later found out to be, a "shiny" Pokémon. Her DNA makeup was slightly different than most other Emotion Pokémon, and she was a very rare Pokémon to come by.

Suddenly, Swan stopped me in my tracks. She pointed to an ominous man in the distance. The man slowly walked forward.

"Are you Masaru Shuryo of Lavender Town?" asked the man.

I contemplated not telling him my name, but it slipped out. He smirked.

"My name is Christian E. Sanders of Phenac City," said the man. "I am a rare Pokémon collector. I have heard about your Gardevoir on the news, and I would enjoy for her to become a part of the Museum of PokéWonders."

Swan vigorously shook her head at me.

"I don't think she wants to be a part of it. I'm sorry," I said with no sympathy in my voice. I subconsciously had a strong, unknown hatred for this man. Maybe it was because he had his hair pulled back into a ponytail, causing his face to be stretched upward. Maybe it was because he wore all black except for a large, golden badge on his chest.

Or maybe it was because he was an American.

"Such a shame," sighed the man. His eyes then lit up. "How about this? You and I engage in a three-on-three battle. If I win, your Gardevoir comes with me and will live in luxury for the remainder of her life."

"And if I win?" I asked.

"I can reward you handsomely," said the man. He then pulled out a small, azure colored flute. "If you win, I'll reward you with the Ancient Azure Flute, and I'll happily go on my way."

I stuttered. I had no idea what to do. Ichigo nodded, Swan shook her head, and Goth apathetically rolled his eyes. He then walked to a wall, grabbed his tail, and wrote "yes" on the wall in a dim green. I smiled. I knew Swan said no, but I knew the myth behind the Azure Flute. If I owned it, I could finally meet Arceus. I could meet _God_.

"You have yourself a deal."

"I hoped so. Go, Shuckle, Tyranitar, and Wondertomb!" Christian threw three Poké Balls. Out of one came a blue Shuckle, another came a cream-colored Tyranitar, and out of the final one came a blue Spiritomb. I gasped, and he smiled. "All three of my Pokémon are alternate colors, just like yours. However, mine carry more secrets than you can imagine. Now, you may start."

Ichigo, Goth, and Swan got into position, facing Shuckle, Tyranitar, and Wondertomb. I took a deep breath.

"Ichigo, Energy Ball! Swan, Magical Leaf!" I shouted. Ichigo started spinning, and a strange green glow formed around her. Swan winked and blew a kiss, forming pink, leaf-shaped beams of light. The two shot their attacks at Tyranitar, but barely anything happened. Tyranitar screamed in rage.

"Ice Beam!" shouted Christian. Tyranitar shot an Ice Beam out of his mouth at Ichigo. Ichigo panicked and jumped, making a large chuck of ice form on the ground where Ichigo once stood. Ichigo landed on the chunk of ice and started dancing. I quickly realized I should take down the weaker Pokémon before I try out Tyranitar. Since Shuckle had sky-high defense, I looked at Wondertomb.

"Ichigo, use Sunny Day! Goth, use Solar Beam!"

Ichigo sang a song, and a large orb came out of her mouth. It glowed, and Goth absorbed its energy. Goth shot a beam at Wondertomb, but it went right through it. I gasped.

"You will find that is quite impossible, Mister Shuryo. Wondertomb is a god among ants, and you have no idea of his potential! Wondertomb, use Ominous Wind!"

Wondertomb blew a gust of black wind at Swan. The wind hit Swan, and she was knocked off of her feet. I was angry. How didn't the Solar Beam hit? I didn't wait to find out.

"Swan, use Psychic!"

Swan's eyes glowed purple, and then Shuckle seemed to get knocked back for no reason. Tyranitar then ran at Swan.

"Close Combat, Tyranitar!" shouted Christian.

"Wait a minute, Tyranitar can't learn that move! What's wrong with your Pokémon?!" I screamed.

"Nothing," he said, frankly.

Tyranitar punched Swan with all of his might. However, nothing happened.

"Wait a minute, that should have done damage! What the Hell's going on?!" screamed Christian.

I took out my Pokédex and pointed it at Swan. I looked at her level, typing, attacks, and ability. Her ability, instead of saying "Trace", said "Wonder Guard". I gasped.

"You're cheating! Your Pokémon are freaks!" I shouted.

Christian laughed. "You know," he said, "I can't really say if my Pokémon are mutants or not, but what I can say is that we have a bet."

I stopped in my tracks. I knew what was going on. He wanted Swan, and he wasn't even trying. He was cheating, with freak Pokémon. That flute might not even be real. I made a mistake. I should have listened to Swan. But I didn't, and I was stuck in an unfair battle. I became furious, and then screamed.

"Goth, Sketch!"

Goth smirked. He pressed his tail against the Tyranitar, and the color drained out of its face. Goth jumped onto Swan's head.

"Swan, throw Goth at Tyranitar with Confusion! Goth, use Close Combat!"

Swan made Goth glow a light blue color, and then a loud sound shot through the street as Swan shot Goth at the Tyranitar. Goth started punching, kicking, and biting Tyranitar with immense power. Tyranitar screamed.

"Ichigo, Leaf Storm!"

Ichigo screamed, and leaves burst out of the ground around her. The leaves flew around the street, and I ducked as they shot around me. The leaves soon formed into a small tornado, and then it formed around Tyranitar just as Goth jumped away. The combination of Close Combat and Leaf Storm was too much for Tyranitar, and he fainted. I laughed.

"Take that, you freak! Not even your cheating Pokémon can beat mine!" I taunted.

"Just you wait, Mister Shuryo," said Christian, as calmly as he could. "Shuckle, use Rock Tomb on all three of the Pokémon."

The Shuckle smiled slowly, and then the building next to it slowly started to crumble. The building's rubble flew at Swan, Goth, and Ichigo. Ichigo cowered in fear.

"Goth! Ichigo! Run to Swan!" I shouted.

Goth and Ichigo grabbed onto Swan's arms. The rubble flew around the three, but it refused to go close to Swan. Christian scowled.

"Using Trace to your advantage, I see? Well, let's see if I can use Wonder Guard better! Shuckle, enough! Wondertomb, use Dark Pulse!"

Wondertomb shot a beam of black rings at my Pokémon. As it hit, the rubble around them scattered around, hitting Swan, Goth, and Ichigo. The three fell to the ground.

"Now, Shuckle! Use Bug Bite!"

Shuckle jumped at Swan and bit her leg. She screamed, and Christian smirked.

"Such a shame, Mister Shuryo," started Christian. "I seem to be the better trainer. Now, I'll take your Gardevoir."

"…You're not the better trainer," I stated.

Swan, Goth, and Ichigo rose up from the debris and brushed themselves of dust.

"You use mutant Pokémon to win. You don't care about the Pokémon. You didn't raise them, did you?" I asked.

"No," he said, flatly.

"Did you even try to raise any Pokémon by yourself?"

"…No."

"Thought so," I said sourly. Christian glared at me.

"You think that I've never met insignificant zits like you before?! For God's sake, you're using a Smeargle and a Bellossom! Do you even know how many Pokémon could simply gaze in their direction and make them faint?!"

"…I do. There are many times when I met Pokémon that could easily do that to Goth and Ichigo," I said. "But…I never met one with a fraction of their spirit! No Pokémon can win unless they have a true soul, and I can tell that your Pokémon are just emotionless mutants!"

The Shuckle gazed at his limbs, confused. Wondertomb seemed unfazed.

"Wondertomb…SHADOW BALL, SHADOW BALL, SHADOW BALL!!!!!" screamed Christian. He threw the flute onto the ground in anger.

Wondertomb slammed itself against the ground, and three large, dark balls formed around it. They flew at my Pokémon, but then Ichigo, not waiting for me to say anything, used three Energy Balls on the Shadow Balls, canceling them out. Christian screamed in anger.

"Shuckle, Megahorn!"

Shuckle didn't move. Instead, he turned his head to the ground and spat stomach acid. I took its hint, but I wonder why he was doing it.

"…Goth, Sketch!" I exclaimed.

Goth ran to the stomach acid and pressed his tail against it. The acid disappeared. Shuckle then smiled, and then fainted on his own will.

"Goth, use Gastro Acid!"

Goth spat gastric acid at Wondertomb. The Spiritomb started failing around, and I acted quickly.

"Triple Kamikaze Strike!" I shouted.

Petals formed around Ichigo as she danced and Swan and Goth started to glow purple. Ichigo used Petal Dance, Swan used Psychic, and Goth used Shadow Ball. The attacks hit Wondertomb, and it fainted. I won.

"I'll take the flute now, Mister Sanders," I said slyly.

Christian didn't move. He slowly reached into his pocket and took out a gun.

"Give me the Gardevoir!" he screamed.

He ran and aimed his gun at me. I screamed. Swan gasped. He fired. I shuddered. Nothing happened. I looked around. Ichigo and Goth were in shock, and I looked at Swan. She was lying on the floor, covered in blood. Christian gasped, returned Tyranitar and Wondertomb to their Poké Balls, and ran.

Five years later, I sat on Swan's grave. She rested on the top floor of the Pokémon Tower, with a large tomb that dwarfed all the others. I didn't care. All I knew is that she was dead. I'm nineteen now, and still, I visit Swan's grave every day. Goth and Ichigo follow me, too, along with Ichigo's son, an Oddish named Toya, and Christian's old Shuckle. He followed me for days after that event, and I eventually caught him and named him Toadstool.

None of us couldn't find blame to put on ourselves. I shouldn't have entered the battle, and just ran. Goth and Ichigo couldn't forgive themselves for saying I should have entered the battle. Toadstool blamed himself for the whole ordeal, being a part of Christian's team. Only Toya could enter the tower with a smile on his face, not even knowing why his mother was crying.

I knew Christian and the Museum of PokéWonders was still out there. The only way to avenge Swan's final stand was to find Christian and take him down. And to do that, I'll need to use the flute from that night as a clue. That's the only way…to avenge Swan's swan song.


	2. Pipe Dreams

I had no idea where my life was going. For five years, I never stepped foot outside of Kanto. Every day, I tried to bring myself to travel to America, take a bus to Orre, and barge into the Museum of PokéWonders. I'd then make Goth shoot them with a Hyper Beam and make Ichigo poison them all with Poison Powder. Then, I would run and find Sanders and whack him across the head with a lead pipe.

But, like all ideas, that was only a pipe dream, no pun intended. I was simply standing in the Pokémon Day Care Center outside of Cerulean City, waiting for the old man to give me back my Pokémon. Without a dream of becoming a Pokémon master, I slowly began to appreciate the Pokémon I had instead of constantly finding new ones. Ever since Swan died, I had only caught one Pokémon, Toadstool. All my other Pokémon were born in this very day care.

The old man slowly walked into the day care building holding two Poké Balls, one Love Ball and one plain. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. Even though we had known each other for years, I had never once told him how Swan died. I had not told many people how Swan died, for that matter. I had only told my mother, father, and little sister.

"Well…" started the old man, "I think 'at your Pokémon are in order, Masaru. I jus' hope you think more 'bout getting' the rest of those Sinnoh badges. You've only got two!"

"Yeah, maybe," I said, knowing that he will tell me the exact same thing next time we meet. He had grown predictable in his old years, making me hope that the years were equally unkind to Sanders. "I'll have to think about it." I knew I was being aloof to him, but sadly, I didn't really care. I took the two Poké Balls and turned away from the old man. "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, I'll jus' put it on your account."

"'Kay, thanks."

I walked out of the day care with the two Poké Balls in hand. I pressed the buttons in the middle, causing them to shrink. I then placed the two in my pocket and started walking away. Before I could take two steps, however, my PokéGear began to ring. I opened my PokéGear and looked at the number. Professor Willow of Pallet Town was calling me.

At twenty-one, Professor Abeo Canarium became the youngest professor to be Kanto's resident Pokémon expert, the first female, and the first foreigner. Canarium moved to Kanto from the Jincan region of Nigeria, bringing with her excellent first-hand knowledge of Pokémon that many people couldn't learn through four years in college. She, in fact, taught me almost everything I knew about Pokémon battling.

I answered the PokéGear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Masaru," she said, with an air of trepidation in her voice. "I would love to chat, but there is a problem I found while looking through your paperwork regarding your Johto gym badges. I think you should come to Pallet Town as soon as possible. How far away are you?"

"I'm right outside of Cerulean."

"Good, I'll expect you here in two hours." And without another word, she hang up. I was confused, to say the least, about her calling me. I wondered what would possibly be wrong with eight badges I got when I was twelve. I assumed that it must just be another excuse of hers to see me.

For as long as the old man wanted me to continue on with Sinnoh, Canarium had wanted me to work with her as an assistant in the laboratory. Each time she asked, I gave her a simple "no" and didn't think about it further. I hoped that one day she would learn that I really didn't want to, but she continued on with asking.

I hung up my PokéGear and put it in my pocket. Then, I took out the exact same Poké Ball I had just taken out of the day care.

"Go, Gino!"

I threw the Poké Ball into the air. The Poké Ball fell onto the ground and let off a bright light. As the light cleared, a large Charizard glanced down at me and smiled with his large mouth. I smiled back.

Gino was the first Pokémon I ever had, not counting family pets. As my starter Pokémon, I used him for most of my gym battles back in the old days, but while I was in Sinnoh, Gino gradually noticed that with each Flamethrower he used, another Pokémon was sent to the hospital. Gino became a pacifist, and now I use him to fly around Kanto as my means of transportation.

I am by no means complaining. After I lost interest in Pokémon battling as well, flying with Gino was one of the few joys I found in life. Each second I spent in the air, I felt like a child again. Gino knelt down on his knees. I jumped onto his back and grabbed his neck.

Together, we flew.

About one hour later, I landed outside of Pallet Town. I quickly returned Gino to his Poké Ball and walked into town. Knowing Canarium wasn't expecting me for another hous, I tried to walk down the streets of Pallet Town as slowly as possible. However, something strange happened.

Shortly after entering Pallet Town, I walked past the Pallet House, the largest restaurant in Pallet Town. Outside of the Pallet House, a black woman in a lab coat stood with two Shellos in her shoulders. Seeing as this was Japan, there was only one black woman in a lab coat that would possibly be outside of the building: Canarium. She had an annoyed look in her eyes as she gradually shifted her glance to me. Even her two pet Shellos gave me annoyed looks.

"You're late," she said to me, raising her eyebrow. Her Shellos both said their names in a similar tone.

"I thought you didn't want me for another hour," I said, mimicking her annoyance. "Besides, _you_ aren't even at the lab yet."

"Does it look like either of us really care?" she asked. I couldn't help but notice the blatant hypocrisy in what she just said. "We both know why we're both here."

This is what I always liked about Canarium. She never gave anyone any pity, not even children. Every word that came out of her mouth could burn through a Metagross's skin. That's why I always found it appropriate that she always wore green lipstick.

"I need to talk to you about…" she whispered, each word slowly rolling off her tongue Canarium walked closer to me, her Shellos bouncing up and down as she moved. "…Swan". She grabbed onto my shoulder and began pulling me towards the lab. Even though I moved my legs, my heart stopped.

After walking a few blocks, we made it to Canarium's laboratory. She pushed me inside and pointed to a small table made of green glass. "Sit," she said, quietly. She pushed me towards the table and her two Shellos jumped onto my shoulders. As she walked toward a file cabinet, a large, pink Gastrodon pulled two chairs to the table with its mouth.

"Uh…thanks," I said, and I sat down on one of the chairs. The two Shellos jumped off of my shoulders, snickered, and crawled to Canarium. As they crawled up her legs, I tried to take a look at what she was doing. She was fingering through a file cabinet filled to the brim with manila envelopes. She picked three envelopes out of the cabinet and slowly walked back to me. She then sat down on the second chair, ridiculously close to me, as if she had no sense of personal space.

"Before I open these," she started, "I want to know why you lied to me."

"…Lied about what?" I asked, knowing what she was going to say next.

"Alright, fine." Canarium opened the first of the envelopes. She spilled the contents onto the table. My eyes flew open as I saw a file with a picture of Swan among the contents. "This is a file on all of the rare Pokémon the students under me caught. There are even pictures in here from my predecessors," she added, looking at a picture of an alternately-colored Noctowl. "This, however, for the most part, is irrelevant.

"After looking through the file the other day, I noticed something," she said flatly, looking through the giant pile of pictures and papers on the table. She finally found the file of Swan. "Under _cause of death_, I put 'fall', just as you told me to. This troubled me, as you can already tell." Her glare burned through my skin.

I had told her years ago that Swan died in 'a fall' and left it at that. I never talked about the subject with her again, and I figured she believed me. I could now see that she clearly didn't.

"You're sister let slip what really happened years ago, along with some other …_grim_ details. Swan was **shot** and all these years you **swept it under a rug**?!" She pounded her fists on the table, causing the files to fly into the air. Her ebony skin gradually changed to a Hellish red. "How _dare_ you think that this was okay?!"

With that one sentence, I snapped. "**YOU THINK I THOUGHT IT WAS **_**OKAY**_?!" The two Shellos silently gasped. I then tried to calm down. "Do you have _any_ idea how I must have felt?"

"Well, I must have." Canarium opened the second envelope. Instead of spilling the contents, she simply took the lone paper in the envelope and handed it to me. "After learning Swan was killed it was rather hard to figure out who did it, but I finally did it. If you helped me, maybe I could have found it sooner."

I looked at the file with an unhinged jaw. "This…is…"

"Don't read it now, I don't have the time," she said. "Let me make it quick. After a quick search online, I found that there was no such thing as 'the Museum of PokéWonders' and it was clearly just a lie that man told you." Canarium took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. She took one, lit it, and began to smoke.

"This Sanders guy clearly worked for an organization known as Team Slaughter. It's a crappy name, but it's to the point. Team Slaughter is similar to the organizations of the past, like Team Rocket and Team Magma, but this one plays out like a business instead of a cult of a group of terrorists."

"Uh…I don't really…care about this. Can I just get to the reason they killed Swan?" I gradually grew impatient. She knew why Swan was killed and she just kept giving me useless information. "Can you just hurry up?!"

"No. Masaru, this is serious. You really need to know everything about these people if you want to take them down."

"…Take them down?"

"Why else do you think I spent years of my life trying to find these people?" Canarium put her hand on my lap. She edged her face closer to mine. "Masaru, if you do everything I tell you, you can take down the whole organization that killed Swan. Just. Do. Everything. I. Say."


End file.
